While preparing for a real estate development on the eastern coast of Corsica, workers recently happened upon the remains of a Roman tile workshop perched on a hill overlooking the Étang de Diane lagoon.
Brice Chevaux/INRAPArchaeologists working to clear a settling basin inside the Roman tile workshop found on Corsica.
At the site of an upcoming real estate development on the Corsican coast, archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventative Archaeological Research (INRAP) recently uncovered a 1,900-year-old Roman tile production workshop.
Excavations along the Étang de Diane lagoon began in July, with experts quickly discovering evidence of human occupation dating back to the Early Iron Age. In all, the team uncovered roughly 50 structures as well as a number of artifacts ranging from ceramics to tools.
Settlements Dating Back To The Early Iron Age Found On The Coast Of Corsica
Morgane Heurtebis/INRAPAn INRAP team member excavating the ancient oven inside the Roman tile factory.
According to a statement from INRAP, the excavations yielded a number of stunning finds. The excavation area covered an area of more than 9,000 square feet, revealing the presence of prehistoric structures and artifacts dating back to the Early Iron Age.
Surviving post holes provided further evidence of the 50 or so structures that once stood at the site, most built with either stone or various perishable materials.
Brice Chevaux/INRAPA funerary urn found inside a grave near the tile workshop.
“The presence of several post holes illustrates constructions made of perishable materials,” the statement reads. “The discovery of large pits, containing charcoal rejects, fragmented rowels and broken vases, refers to the domestic sphere. Finally, the pebble arrangements seem to correspond to building foundations.”
Additionally, archaeologists found various artifacts including locally-produced ceramics, imported Etruscan pottery, and macrolithic tools like millstones and grinding wheels.
Brice Chevaux/INRAPArchaeologists working to excavate the ancient tile factory’s oven.
There is evidence to suggest that this prehistoric site once spread out over an even larger area than the current excavation zone, meaning researchers only have a limited understanding of its full scope. Still, it’s clear that this once-sprawling site played host to a variety of people over the centuries.
And the most fascinating discovery of all was likely a first-century C.E. Roman tile production workshop found near the shoreline.
The Discovery Of A Roman Tile Workshop From The First Century C.E.
Nathalie Gonzalez/INRAPAn aerial view of the two excavation sites.
In use several centuries before the fall of Rome, the tile workshop was found just to the south of the prehistoric site, as close to the water’s edge as possible.
According to INRAP, the workshop included facilities for every stage of the tile production process, beginning with a large basin used for decanting clay. After it finished decanting, the clay was then shaped and fired in a large kiln with a double-vaulted heating chamber, which was housed in a larger structure made of pebbles embedded in lime mortar.
Nathalie Gonzalez/INRAPThe walls and buttresses of the tile factory’s warehouse.
Next to the kiln, researchers identified a large warehouse supported by buttresses that was most likely used to store finished tiles. They also found several large dump sites that contained both misfired tiles and waste from the kiln.
On the outskirts of the workshop, the archaeological team also identified a group of eight graves, most of which were made with tiles and stone. One also included a pottery urn, the contents of which have yet to be analyzed.
Bice Chevaux/INRAPTwo of the burial pits found at the tile workshop site.
Unfortunately, the area’s acidic soil prevented any skeletons from being preserved. However, there were several funerary offerings of ceramic vases and glass artifacts found among the burials.
The excavation itself is due to wrap this month so that real estate developers can continue their work, but the team from INRAP still intends to conduct further research into this stunning find.
After learning about the discovery of this Roman tile workshop, read about the worst emperors in Roman history. Then, read about ancient Rome’s fiercest gladiators.
